MB, 5'8 or 5'10...?

03-16-2012, 03:00 PM

I've been surfing Firewire boards for a few years now and lovin' them: riding my 5'8 Stealth in anything from waist-high to overhead and am looking to keep this one but also get a more standard high perf shortboard for the steeper waves.
I've been going back and forth between ordering a thiner 5'8 or a thinner 5'10 MB... I haven't been able to hold one so it's a bit hard to picture the actual volume of the board : rails, thickness through nose and tails, etc.
I'm 5'8, 145 pounds, surf almost everyday.
My standard shortboards are usually 5'10 or 5'11, 18 3/8" by 2 3/16" and pretty much look like CI MBM+.
If you guys who've seen the board can help me out it'd be great!
Many thanks,

Comment

Thanks Chris,
I think the thinner version would definitely be best, but I'm going back and forth between the 5'8 and 5'10... It is recommended to ride it 2" shorter than my usual shortboard, which makes me want to go for the 5'8; but with the increased rocker and lower volume I'm concerned that I may loose too much paddle power. On the other hand, the 5'10 seems a bit too much foam, even in the thinner version...
It's hard to decide when you don't get to hold the board and feel the volume for yourself!
Has anyone ridden the 5'8 and could give feedback?
Many thanks

yeah keep in mind that "ride X number of inches shorter" is a a potentially inaccurate way to suggest a board because it assumes that you are on the right volume with your current board. I say take it with a grain of salt because the truth is, its likely that the 508 or 510 would work well for you unless you are really killing it...

It also depends what else you have in your quiver. I think if you are on the stealth in smaller stuff, then your Michel might be your better wave board and you could afford to step down a little in length. Plus the 508 has comparable volume to your stealth...

Comment

hey all,
here's a quick update on my MB situation :
I was gonna order the thicker 5'8 MB, but it wasn't available for another two months, so I ended up getting the thinner 5'8 hoping it'd be enough foam for me. The board got here and man I knew the volume was just right ! The board is thick where it needs to be, and I'm convinced that the thicker version would have been a bit too thick on the rail for me, so I'm already stoked and can't wait to take it out.
I put K2 FCS fins on the board and waited for a good swell to come through. Well... I'm in France for the summer, and late June wasn't the best to say the least. Tired of waiting for the right conditions, I ended up paddling out in 2 feet windy, shifty, but still punchy beach break surf. Not the right conditions for the MB, on paper at least - but the board was incredibly fun even in these shitty conditions : paddles very well (even though I had been a bit concern by the overall volume, I actually believe that on this model, and if you're in good shape, less is better), is lightning fast, and very responsive. The boards is very easy to generate speed on, even through mushy sections, and because it is so responsive, you can easily negotiate the crumbly/closed-out sections. Stoked.
I got a couple similar sessions, and then came the good swell : glassy 4-5 ft powerful hollow beach-break. The MB was just what I was looking for : it handles steep drops very well, with the tail locking in easily and allowing you to push hard on your bottom turns with full control. It is very fast, and you can trim fast in the steepest part of the wave. The best part was going for big turns, under the lip or pushing hard through it, and being able to recover and go straight into another bottom turn without loosing control at all. You can surf that model vertically much more easily than a standard shortboard.
I love the board and would recommend it to anyone who wants to push his performance surfing ; regarding the size/thickness, I'd say don't be afraid to go short and "thin", the board has a lot of hidden volume and will paddle well enough.
Oh, and I'm not the kind of guy who just raves about his new board no matter what; I'm pretty picky. Regarding the MB model, I can honestly say that he board is insane, so many thanks to the firewire crew for putting out such a good stick!